Cre8ivtouch

This year has been hot. Normally by October we have a foot of snow in the Black Hills but this year it was 60 degrees F in December,  completely unheard of!

I love being outside with just a camera and my shadow, this warmth has given me so much time for my work. I saw rain in November, the birds were singing on Christmas and I have loved every minute of it!

New Years came and went and I even began to believe Fall would carry us to Spring, the cold would have to wait until next year. But then, as with all late bloomers Winter came in like a hurricane. The temperature dropped to subzero, the roads turned to snow and the sky turned to gray.

Just when you think you are through, life just has to hit you with that cold shower.

Adventure at Windcave National Park

As you come into the park you have to wonder why it got the name "Wind" Cave,  maybe it is drafty?  A thermal vent somewhere pumping air from the depths of the Earth?  I was looking to find out when I stumbled upon a not so subtle reminder that the cave was not the only windy place in South Dakota.

I watched the gathering clouds as the Prairie winds pulled the Storm over my path. The setting sun just light enough to give it a warm glow to the West. As the wind picked up it shook the car and so I just had to pull over.

What a perfect opportunity to capture this little storm on the prairie. Maybe this is where that cave gets it name...

It was sometime around mid Autumn during a drive with my husband that we stumbled across Toadstool Geologic Park in the Nebraska Badlands which is near the South Dakota state line.

We did some hiking, explored and scoped out the area for some good compositions while  waiting for the sun to go down.  At first the sunset was uneventful and my hopes of snagging a spectacular sunset image were dashed.

At sunset it seemed as though the clouds were not in the right place along the horizon and I already had a fantastic composition set up so I felt it would be wise to wait a little longer.  

Immediately after the sun dipped below the horizon, from East to West the entire sky Exploded with color as I scrambled to get as many shots as I could, it was not a problem to find several compositions!

Yes it was most definitely worth the wait! 

2020 was a most extraordinary year for celestial events, July 17th however was the most amazing experience in all my years of photography! 

This particular night I was transfixed by the sight of Comet Neowise as it appeared to make its way, closer and closer, to the silhouetted rock formations reflected in the placid waters of Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park.

This particular shot was captured after 10:30 that night, the tranquil beauty and serene stillness of the warm summer night had me in a trance until well after midnight.  For this once in a lifetime event it was most definitely worth losing a little sleep!

I am never disappointed whenever I visit this placid little lake that is tucked away in a quiet location of the Black Hills. The hardest decision for me is finding the right composition and I particularly like pretty clouds at sunset and sunrise.

Therefore I opted for this view because the clouds were all going that direction and I knew they would look beautiful reflecting off the water. Looking back now I wish that I had kept my original composition but at least I can always go back and try again.

My young canine companion is still learning that she sometimes has to wait for a long time before we go somewhere else, at least she doesn't complain and she always finds some way to entertain herself although she can sometimes get herself into trouble.